猿芝居

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 猿芝居 is read as さるしばい and means “transparent charade” and “clumsy deception”.
• Basic usage: It denotes an obvious charade that fools no one and a clumsy deception used to evade blame.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Key distinction: 猿芝居
  • It does not mean a literal monkey performance here; it disparages a transparent, badly acted deception.